


Thicker Than Blood

by SarahJeanne



Category: Shelter (2007)
Genre: Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-08
Updated: 2010-02-08
Packaged: 2017-10-07 03:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahJeanne/pseuds/SarahJeanne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>All for one and everything that goes with it.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Thicker Than Blood

They are trying to walk away.

They are trying to walk away because their mothers had ganged up on them over spring break, sat them down over ice cream, and begged, _please, please, get through the rest of the school year without us being called to the headmaster's office again._

Their backs are turned to Cal and they are walking away when Gabe is hit in the back of the head by a pencil, a balled up piece of paper, some stupid little thing. Gabe turns around and Zach follows suit. Zach sees Gabe's body tense; he can tell how much he wants to run back in there. He puts a hand on Gabe's arm. "Come on," he says. "He's not worth it and you promised, remember?"

Cal smirks as he looks at Zach's hand on Gabe's arm. "Oh," he says, all smarmy, self-assuredness, "I see. You're just a couple of little faggots."

Gabe throws the first punch before Zach even realizes his hand is hanging by his side. "Fuck," he says to the floor before he throws himself into the fray, all for one and everything that goes with it.

After the crowd gathers and the teachers break it up and they make the requisite trip to the nurse's office, they end up seated in chairs across from the empty secretary's desk, just outside the headmaster's office. They are joined by their mothers; Zach can't imagine dinner will be pleasant at either of their houses tonight.

Zach kicks his heel against the thick, maroon carpeting. His elbow rests on the arm of his chair and he props up his head with his hand. The palm of his hand smears the dried blood left on his chin from his split lip. His shirt is half untucked, his tie hangs loose around his neck. He is leaning to his right, as far away as he can get from his mother while he is stuck in this chair.

Despite the look she gave him when she walked in, the I-can't-believe-I've-been-called-out-of-work-for-this-crap look, she's chatting away with Gabe's mother. Every once in awhile she throws her head back and laughs, loud and long. Zach cringes. As much as he loves his mother, she already stands out here in her fraying jeans, uniform shirt, and ponytail. Does she really need to call more attention to herself? Gabe's mother, in the next chair, is being just as loud, but with her sweater set and pearls she blends right in with the marbled hallways and carved-wood moldings.

Zach leans slightly forward and sees that Gabe is mirroring his position as he leans away from his own mother. The one difference is the ice pack, wrapped ineffectively in a brown paper towel, that Gabe holds to his eye.

When she catches him leaning forward, Joy shoots out a hand, grabs the crumpled collar of Zach's shirt and pulls him back. "No socializing," she scolds. "You should be using this time to think of a really good excuse."

Zach tips his head back so it thwacks against the wall. He rests there for a few, glorious moments but he looks up immediately when he hears the door open. He watches the headmaster escort Cal and his parents out of the office. He's happy to note the rather large bloodstain on the front of Cal's shirt from where Gabe gave him a bloody nose. As Zach watches them go he realizes Cal is limping as well.

Headmaster Collins clears his throat so Zach tears his eyes from the retreating figures and turns towards the man standing over them. The mothers have stopped talking as well and have turned their focus to the headmaster. "So," Headmaster Collins says, looking from Zach to Gabe and back again, "who would like to go first? Or should this be a joint session?"

Gabe stands up and four heads swivel towards him. "It wasn't Zach's fault, sir. He was just trying to stop the whole thing."

The headmaster sighs and looks at the mothers. "Together, then. That okay with the two of you?"

They nod. "Of course," Gabe's mother says. The four of them file into the office. The headmaster produces a fourth chair and they resituate themselves so that Gabe and Zach are centered in front of the desk, framed by their mothers. A portrait hangs behind the desk, presumably the founder of the school. His eyes follow Zach as he moves into the room, judging him.

Headmaster Collins settles himself behind the desk. "So," he looks up expectantly. "Who would like to go first?"

Zach carefully looks at the ground, the wall, out the window, anywhere but at his mother as Gabe launches into the story.

As he listens to Gabe, he hears his voice break as he repeats what Cal said right before the fight started. Zach's not crazy about people thinking they're gay either, but he's got Tori and Gabe has Samantha and Kristine and currently Chloe; no rumor would last long. It's certainly not worth bleeding over. There's a look on Gabe's face though, one that Zach's only seen on the rare occasions Gabe talks about his dad. It's clear this cut deep, but Zach's pretty sure he won't be asking for an explanation.

He slouches in his seat as Gabe finishes his story and the three adults look at him expectantly. "Yeah," he says. "That sounds right."

"What made you feel the need to join in the physical part of the altercation?" the headmaster asks.

Zach squirms, just slightly, _trying_ not to show it, under the scrutiny of the four other people in the room. He glances at Gabe out of the corner of his eye, who nods. Zach has permission to throw him under the bus. "Uh, I thought Gabe was being kind of stupid, so first I was trying to stop him. But then he was getting beat on pretty bad, so I was trying to stop that. Mostly I just wanted to leave."

The headmaster sighs again. Zach wonders what percentage of his day is spent sighing. "Next time just get a teacher, okay?"

Zach nods.

"I really don't want to suspend anyone today." He looks from one mother to the other. "Take them home for the rest of the day, we'll meet back here at eight-o'clock tomorrow morning for the requisite apologies."

"Thank you, Mr. Collins," Gabe's mother says, echoed by his own.

"Thank you, sir," Gabe and Zach both mumble before being led out of the office by their mothers.

Zach walks down the hall mentally preparing for his mother to give him a lecture about how _disappointed_ she is in him. They trail along behind Gabe and his mother. He watches as Gabe fails to fight his mother off and she wraps her arm around his shoulders and kisses him on the top of the head. The hall is quiet, it's the middle of third period, so he can hear her when she speaks. "Don't you ever do that again. Even if I am a little proud of you."

Gabe smiles at her and then finally pulls himself free and runs forward to kick the door open, icepack still flapping around in his left hand. "Honestly, Gabe!"

Zach runs forward to join him, ignoring his mother calling after him. "This isn't a vacation, Zach. You're in _trouble_."

He bumps his shoulder into Gabe. Gabe turns his head and looks at Zach, questioningly, _We cool?_ Zach nods once and Gabe smiles in return. They walk towards the cars in silence.

 

***

It's a few months later when Zach figures it out. Shaun has been called down from L.A. to supervise while his and Gabe's parents go to Europe. They must have done a spectacular job cleaning up last year for Nancy and Larry to put Shaun in charge again. The Smirnoff Ice and Busch Light Shaun now has in the trunk of his car prove how spectacularly bad this decision is, from a parental standpoint.

They split up before they go into the store, Shaun in charge of alcohol and Zach and Gabe responsible for everything else they need. Right as the cashier finishes ringing through their items Gabe suddenly and inexplicably decides that they absolutely have to have a piñata. He shoves Larry's credit card into Zach's hand and tells Zach he'll meet him at the car.

Zach is alone as he walks across the parking lot, struggling with the overflowing bags. His hands are sweaty and the paper of the bags is starting to wear. He squints against the sun as he scans the parking lot, trying to remember where they'd parked. His attention is drawn to a jeep as it pulls into the lot, music blaring. It parks a few spots away from where Shaun is leaning against his car; Zach adjusts the bags and heads in the right direction.

There is nothing particularly remarkable about the guy who swings himself out of the jeep. Sunglasses, board shorts, flip-flops. He grabs a t-shirt that's wedged in the back seat and loops it over his neck. With the sun beating down and the heat reflected off the pavement, Zach doesn't blame him for not wanting to put it on until air conditioning is imminent.

There is nothing remarkable about him until he slows as he walks past Shaun and then turns and heads back to where Shaun is standing. Shaun waves and acknowledges the guy so Zach figures they went to high school together or something, but then the guy steps right up next to Shaun and curls his fingers around the back of Shaun's neck.

Zach stops where he stands and watches. Shaun doesn't do anything at first as their conversation continues but then he takes the guy's hand, holds it for a moment as he looks at the ground, and lets it drop. They talk for a few seconds longer during which Shaun gestures behind him at the supermarket. The guy touches Shaun one more time, brushing his fingers against Shaun's arm, and continues to the store. Zach watches as Shaun's gaze follows the guy until he pulls the shirt over his head and disappears inside.

Gabe's recent behavior suddenly makes sense.

Zach finishes cutting across the rows of cars to reach Shaun, who is checking his watch.

"What took you so long?" Shaun asks.

Zach shrugs. "Lots of stuff to get," he says as Shaun relieves him of the bags.

Shaun looks from Zach to the empty space next to him with confusion. "Didn't there used to be two of you?"

Zach smiles. "Gabe decided he really needs a piñata. He shouldn't be much longer."

Shaun rolls his eyes. "Of course he does. Let's pull the car up to the door, I'm baking out here." He walks around to the driver's door and looks back at Zach. "Getting in?"

As Zach slides in to the car, next to Shaun, he feels…like he's sort of longing for something, but he doesn't know what it is. Shaun's fingers brush his as they both reach for the radio controls and he jumps. "You okay?" Shaun asks. Zach turns his head and Shaun is looking at him out of the corner of his eye and he maneuvers the car through the parking lot.

"I'm fine," Zach says. Though he's not, really. But since he doesn't know what he is, that seems like the best answer.

Gabe jumps in the car, triumphantly clutching a _Blue's Clues_ piñata and suddenly everything is raised voices and exaggerated arguments and normal again.

***

Zach is on his fifth beer since the party started about two hours ago. He's been subtly watching Shaun for a while, but it's starting to get much harder to do that as Shaun moves much faster than Zach's eyes can. He's sort of confused because Shaun doesn't look very faggy. Shouldn't he be wearing a pink shirt and prancing around the house or something?

But Shaun is still acting like the same old Shaun, exactly the same as when he first taught Zach to surf seven years ago, exactly the same as each of the hundred times since. He is also gay. Apparently the two things are not mutually exclusive.

Just then Gabe comes flying in, baseball bat in hand. "Dude." Zach slowly brings his head up to look at Gabe. "_Dude._" Gabe puts his hands on Zach's shoulders for emphasis and the bat swings into his knee, though he can't bring himself to care.

"We are going to beat the shit out of that dog," Gabe says, looking him straight in the eye. "You coming?"

"Be right there," he says as Gabe disappears out the door. He is very much looking forward to beating the shit out of the dog; Gabe always has the _best_ ideas. First, though, he has to find Shaun because he has something very important to tell him.

He finds Shaun on the outskirts of the circle that is forming around the piñata.

"Shaun," he says, leaning against a conveniently placed table. Shaun looks at him and either smiles or laughs at him, Zach can't really tell. "Shaun, I just want to tell you that everything's the same so you don't have to worry. I mean, it's a little different, but it's the same." He tries to emphasize the word 'same' to bring finality to his statement.

"Wow, Zach," Shaun says, bemusement in his voice easily mistaken for gratitude by the inebriated, "that's really good to hear." He pats Zach on the back a couple of times. "You doin' okay, man?"

"I'm great," Zach says. Gabe calls him then, he looks over his shoulder and Gabe is waving the bat at him. He looks back at Shaun. "I have to go."

"I know. Important stuff going on over there."

"Very," Zach agrees. He works his way through the crowd, where Gabe is getting ready to start swinging.

Gabe looks at him, bat raised. "Got my back?"

Zach grins. "Always."


End file.
